The flight of the Galileo spacecraft past Venus, the earth, and the moon

A summary is presented of results of scientific observations of Venus, the earth, and the moon from the Galileo spacecraft, which was launched to study the Jupiter system on a complex trajectory with gravity assists near Venus and the earth. The structure and dynamics of the Venus atmosphere were elucidated. No significant amounts of mafic material were found in the ejecta of the Orientale basin, which puts constraints on the excavation depth of the Orientale transient cavity (not more than 70 km). The existence of the giant (20,000 km across) South Pole-Aitken basin is confirmed. Spectral characteristics of the surface within the basin show a high content of mafic components, which implies the presence of buried mare lavas there or the excavation of mantle material by this basin.